


I missed shortbread

by InterPlanetaryGirl



Category: In the Flesh (TV)
Genre: I think Kieren likes shortbread more than he likes Simon in this...., M/M, Shortbread, Simon should probably watch what Kieren is buying next time, Warming Up, cuteness??? kinda
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2015-01-22
Updated: 2015-01-22
Packaged: 2018-03-08 16:29:58
Rating: Not Rated
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings, No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,713
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/3215894
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/InterPlanetaryGirl/pseuds/InterPlanetaryGirl
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Kieren starts to warm up and he misses food. Snacks. Shortbread...</p>
            </blockquote>





	I missed shortbread

It had started just after Amy's funeral. Kieren didn't think anything of the tremors, until they started to be accompanied by nosebleeds every so often. Simon hadn't notcied the tremors at first (Kieren tried to make sure Simon was holding his had when they were together - better he thought he was incredibly clingy than terminally ill and possibly going rabid) but his second nosebleed happened in front of Simon, and when he removed his hand from Simon's, it showed that it was trembling. And Simon started to go and something for him to clean it up with, while trying to not show that he was incredibly scared and panicking.

And after two weeks of his nosebleeds happening every other day or so, Simon finally drew the line and instructed Kieren to go see Docrtor Russo. He was adamant at first, but then agreed to it. When he had wandered into the kitchen of the bungalow and looked for something to eat, he was throwing up black bile ten seconds after swallowing a bite of a chocolate digestive that were there for when his parents or Jem come over. 

When Simon asked him why he had done that, he said that he didn't know. That he felt a hunger in his stomach or something and just felt the need to eat - almost as if he forgot that he didn't eat anymore. 

Simon decided to wait until the next day to take Kieren to see Doctor Russo, watching him closely to make sure that he didn't eat anything else, but he noticed that Kieren was forgetting some of the simple things - that they'd already had tea with his parents this week, and they'd already called to arrange another and that he'd already read a book he was going to read again. Not that Simon was going to say anything about reading the same book over again (considering there were a could of his that are particuarly dog-eared) but it was the fact Kieren couldn't remember reading it even though he hadn't being able to put it down for several hours. 

Nothing happened until he woke up the next morning, complaining that he had pins and needles in his foot from the way he was laid through the night. Simon got himself dressed as Kieren watched, climbing out of bed when Simon says that they're going to Doctor Russo because Kieren shouldn't be feeling pins and needles in his foot - he shouldn't be feeling anything. So Kieren agreed to go, because he didn't realise that he had, in fact, complained about it before he had already said it. And they took the quick walk to the clinic, it being open because they were too lazy (well, Kieren was too lazy and Simon wasn't going to disturb him sleeping by moving his arm from under him, though Kieren had told him on many accounts that he didn't need to worry about waking him up) to get up before ten in the morning, and it now being near to eleven. 

***

When they got there, there was nobody in and he was talking to his new receptionist - Paige - since his last one decided that the job is "too risky" and not worth it to come back and moved into the city where she thought she was less likely to get attacked by any untreated PDS patients, or members of the ULA. 

Doctor Russo greeted them with a friendly smile, and Paige a small, shy one. "Ah, good morning gentlemen, what can I do for you today?" 

"Kieren said that he had pins and needles." Simon says, getting straight to the point. 

"Ah, come on, into my office." he says as he motions for them to walk in before him, Simon with his hand on the lower part of Kieren's back, pushing him forward encouragingly, though Kieren shot him a look telling him to stop. They sat down in the uncomfortable chairs in front of the desk as Doctor Russo sat behind it and asks "How long has this being going on for, Kieren?" 

"Oh, not long." Kieren assures him, oddly bright. "The only other thing that happened is that I tried to eat yesterday and I keep forgetting things which is really annoying." 

"Okay, so you say you had pins and needles when you woke up this morning?" Doctor Russo continues to question. 

"Apparently." Kieren shrugs. "I think I was half asleep when I said it though, but it did wake me up and I just don't know." 

"See why I brought him in." Simon says, eyebrows raised slightly.

"Well there are some nerves that are regenerating and, as I've said before - some of these _will_ be pain receptors. If anything else happens, for example you feel hungry or get more pain, come back and see me." 

***  
And so they waited for a couple of days and nothing happened. Well, Kieren had to remind himself that he didn't eat when he wondered what was going to be for tea - before he asked Simon - but other than that there was nothing.  
B

ut on the third day, Kieren stomach grumbled. And it was loud enough that Simon managed to hear it too. "You _did_ hear that right?" Kieren asks, unsure of whether he wants the answer or not, but needing it just in case. 

"Yes..." Simon says, rather scared of what was going on with Kieren's body. "I don't think you should eat anything as of yet though, just in case." 

"So what are we gonna do then? Wait until I pass out from lack of nutrition?" Kieren asks, slightly regretting the snippiness of his tone, but not apologising. 

"We'll go back later." Simon reasons gently. "If you're still hungry an hour before we go to your parents' then we can go to the clinic beforehand." Simon raises his eyebrows in question, searching Kieren's face for any sign of agreement to this idea. 

"Sure. Okay." Kieren says after a minute or so, settling back against Simon's side to carry on watching tv while Simon runs a hand through his hair. 

*** 

Unfortunately, both of them fall asleep and they don't wake up until later that night, when Kieren hears a small _ **'thud thud'** _ every couple of beats, and wonders what it is.

He stands up, careful to not disturb Simon, (who's cuddling up to a pillow on the settee) and walks around the bungalow, wondering if it's the clock in Amy's room, (it's not) or a timer going off in the kitchen (though why would it be) and it takes him a few minutes of going off to get a blanket to wrap around himself from the cold, before he realises that A) he shoudn't be cold, and B) his _heart is beating._ His heart - the one that stopped five years ago and didn't have a replacement for - is beating again. His heart is beating.

His. Heart. Is. Beating. 

And before he knows it, he's yelling Simon's name, startling him and making him roll off the settee and then jump up, him starting to panic when he heard Kieren shrieking for him. 

"What what what?!" he said as he ran over to where Kieren was stood on the arm chair and beaming like there was no tomorrow. 

"My heart." his voice was quiet, but Simon heard him and placed his - cold - hand against Kieren's chest to feel the soft beats, smiling brighter than Kieren when he felt it. Kieren jumped down, partly on to him, not that Simon cared, and they spent the next few minutes stood kissing in the living room. 

"You know what?" Kieren murmured into Simon's shoulder as he pulled away. 

"What?" Simon asked back. 

"I am _really_ hungry." Kieren laughs a little "I'm going out." 

"It's about eight, right now, so you might have a bit of trouble with it." Simon told him. 

"Then we'll go tomorrow, for now, I will just eat the biscuits that are for 'guests' then" Kieren says as he untangles himself from Simon and walks through to the kithen, startingto eat them; revelling in the pleasure of not throwing up black bile the more he eats. 

"What exactly are you going to get tomorrow?" Simon asked with raised eyebrows as Kieren switched channels. 

"I dunno, snacks mainly." Kieren shrugged, placing as much of one chocolate digestive as he could at once, gagging as it starts to go down, but managing to eat it all. 

"And proper food?" Simon continued to ask. 

"I can't cook." Kieren scoffed, spraying some of the biscuit as he swallowed the last part, coughing as his chest tightened from the amount that just went down. 

"Well then you're in luck - I can cook. So it will be good to actually be able to use that skill." Simon says as he places a hand on Kieren's knee. 

"Cool. But tomorrow, I'm eating all snacks. Especially shortbread - I missed shortbread..." Kieren tells him wistfully. 

"Sure, but you're going to have to go see your parents because we missed dinner by a few hours." 

"It's not as if any food was wasted considering we didn't eat. And now it's only me." Kieren reasons. 

"True." Simon agrees.

***

And the next day, when they go shopping after visiting Kieren's parents and them jumping for joy (quite literally; and Kieren wasn't sure to be offended for himself or for Simon) they bought enough food to feed the both of them for a month at least. (Kieren is sure that Simon can't be too far behind since he winced when he stepped onto the cold kitchen floor this morning)(no matter how hard he tries to deny it) 

And when they got back, Kieren left Simon to put away all the shopping while he started to cradle just one of the packets of shortbread they had bought whispering "I missed you so much." as he held it to his face for a brief moment before having a small fight with the cardboard packaging and then the plastic wrapper, and getting sugar all over the settee ( _"Really Kieren?"_ Simon would complain when he walks in) as he munched on them happily, sucking the sugar from his fingers when he was feeling a little bit sickly from eating them all, when he was finished with the pack.

**Author's Note:**

> I wanted to write a warming up fic and I figured Kieren would have missed his fave snack or something (idk) and I thought that shortbread suited Kieren as his favourite snack because it's sweet, but not too much and it's buttery and tastes amazing warm (???) but all in all I don't know how this came into being really I just nyeh (does that make sense....? Probably not, ah well)  
> (Also, sorry for any spelling mistakes)


End file.
